One study, published in the journal Gastroenterology, found that people who have type 2 diabetes and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) are 2.4 times more likely to die than those without NAFLD.

Of 337 diabetes patients in the trial, 116 developed NAFLD during the study period. They were younger, more likely to be female and had a higher BMI (body mass index). Among those with NAFLD, the most common causes of death were malignancy (33%), liver-related complications (19%) or ischaemic heart disease, a disease of reduced blood supply to the heart muscle (19%).

Patients with diabetes should be evaluated for NAFLD, researchers concluded.

Although there’s no proven treatment for NAFLD, gradual and sustained weight loss sometimes helps reduce the amount of fat in the liver, according to the Mayo Clinic.